NamesCon 2015 Wordpress Beginner Session

Introduction to

WordPressLocalTek LLC

Bruce Marler Tiffany Marler

LocalTek LLC

20 Years of Online Business Success

Domain Development

Business Websites

Search Engine Optimization

App Development/Mobile Marketing

Marketing Approach to Build Outs

Why WordPress?

WordPress powers 23% of the internet today.

Has developed in to a full CMS.

Thousands of Plug-ins, Widgets and Themes to allow

for complete customization.

Easy to operate even without coding skills.

Vast amount of Support, forums, YouTube Tutorials

Ready, Set, Go!

PHP Version 5.2.4 or greater

MySQL version 5.0 or greater

WordPress Installer such as Fantastico, QuickInstall, or Softaculous

Recommendations: HostGator, BlueHost, Name.com, DreamHost,

Installing WordPress

Log Into CPanel

Locate One Click Installer (QuickInstall, Softaculous etc)

Click WordPress

Fill in necessary fields, username, PW, your email address,

Leave the Installation Directory blank (will install on your domain/wp-admin

Install

DONE!

Configure Settings

Permanlinks: Settings>Permanlinks>Postname

Ex: Localtek.website/postname

Reading: “Discourage search engines from indexing

this site” VERY IMPORTANT to keep this unchecked.

After theme is chosen this section will also be important

to tell it which pages to show where. (Main Page:

Home Page, blog Page: blog)

Standard Settings for any type of website.

Settings…

Delete “Hello World” Post

Delete “Sample Page” Page

Delete “Hello Dolly” Plug In

Depending on of you are building a blog or a business

website you may need to set more settings in the

discussion section.

Choosing a Theme

Mobile Responsive Design: In todays world of mobile first this feature is key.

Good reviews, good documentation, good support not a free theme.

THOUSANDS of options. Choose one that has the right fit for the website persona. Be sure to keep in mind the amount of content that will be on the site.

Recommended Sources: Elegant Themes and Theme Forest

What are Plugins?

Plugins extend the functionality of WordPress into anything you can imagine. Think of Plugins like apps for your smartphone.

Need a calendar? Plugin.

Need a table? Plugin.

Need SEO features? Plugin.

Need a catalog flip book, e-commerce, social media integrations? Plugin, Plugin, Plugin….

Installing Plugins

Locate Plugins Tab in main Dashboard

Click Add New

Activate

There are two ways to install. Either upload from your computer or Search Plugins directly from the WP dashboard.

See ratings, screenshots, install instructions etc..

Recommended Plugins

All In One SEO or SEO by Yoast

Gravity Forms (paid subscription) or Contact Form 7

Google XML Sitemaps

Broken Link Checker

SEO Smartlinks

W3 Total Cache

Firewall

Akismet

*This list will be on your checklist of to-dos

Post vs. Page

Post is content. Blog, News, Updates, etc…

Page is Content, About Us, Services, Contact Us

To Add a New Page: Main Dashboard>Post>Add New>Write your content>Publish (or Save Draft)

To Add a New Post: Main Dashboard>Page> Add New> Write your content>Publish (or Save Draft)

A few themes will pull in information from either a post or a page depending on how it is built and your chosen settings. Just a heads up..

Navigation Menu

“I created pages but they aren’t showing up!” Don’t freak out!

Appearance>Menus>Type in Menu Name (Main)>Create Menu

Select from Most Recent, View All etc..

Drag and Drop Order, Indent for sub pages

Other Options: Links, to link off to another website etc.

Save Menu

Manage Locations>Primary Menu>Main Menu

Widget?

Widgets are small sections of information for sidebars

and footer content

Widgets…

Appearance>Widgets

Depending on your theme you will see your options(i.e. Footer Widget 1, Footer Widget 2, Main Sidebar etc)

Easy! Drag and Drop the widget options to the location you wish to place them.

**Content is not formatted the same as content in the posts and pages, you can and will need to use HTML in the widgets.

**There are many plugins to enhance your capabilities in widget sections also.

Media

Adding Media to a post or page is as simple as adding attachments in an email.

Pre Upload your images, PDF’s, videos etc.:

Main Dashboard>Media>Add New>Select from computer or drag and drop files in.

From within a Page/Post: Add Media>choose Image from Media Library or Choose from Computer.

Add Images directly to post, featured image section or create a gallery.

Search Engine Optimization

Do NOT forget it!

Page Titles, Image Titles,

Post Titles

Meta Description needs

to be a compelling

excerpt.

Keywords…sans spam….

Check List